A former Hamilton Academical player has expressed frustration over unpaid pension contributions, claiming he is owed a full season's worth, while the club continues to spend on new signings and fly the squad to Wales for a friendly. The player, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Lanarkshire Live Sport: "The PFA has been helping me fight this. I have kept quiet but seeing them spend all this money on new signings is very annoying. I'm still waiting on a full season's pension from the club."
Pension Defaults Continue Under New Ownership
Lanarkshire Live Sport revealed that the club was reported to the Pensions Regulator for the fourth consecutive month for failing to pay some pension contributions owed to employees and former employees during November and December 2025, as well as January and February 2026. The most recent letter, dated June 22, 2026, relates to a period under new owner Rob Edwards, while previous months fell under former owner Seref Zengin, who was deemed 'not fit and proper' by the SFA for "demonstrating serious and sustained financial mismanagement, by repeatedly failing to pay individuals and organisations on time, including players, HMRC and employee pension funds."
Club Spends on Players Despite Debts
Despite these outstanding contributions, Accies have been offering two-year deals to new players in recent weeks, prompting rival clubs to raise concerns that they have been outbid. On July 3, 2026, the club posted on social media about flying the entire squad to Bristol for a friendly against Haverfordwest County, a Welsh Premier League club also owned by Edwards and his Morley Sports Management group.
The SPFL has remained silent on the issue, despite Rule E17 (c) stating that failure to discharge pension obligations is a breach of rules and could result in a points deduction or fine. In the last two seasons, the SPFL has deducted 37 points from Accies over incidents related to the previous regime. The club's last punishment came in February 2026, when it was deducted six points for failing to pay players' wages on time and in full on December 31, 2025, and for defaulting on tax obligations to HMRC. In May 2026, under the current regime, Accies again failed to pay some players on time and underpaid others.
Multiple Creditors Chasing Payments
Various firms are pursuing the club for payments. Quantum Sport has sent repeated emails over the past year seeking around £3,000 for fees related to former midfielder Ben Williamson's agent. Romiro Law Ltd is understood to be owed several thousands in a retainer fee, and Shoosmiths law firm is owed in excess of £20,000. As of six weeks ago, Addleshaw Goddard was still seeking around £40,000 for work carried out last year. Gilson Gray, instructed by Stanford (Scotland) Limited, is demanding £100,000 for a loan agreement entered into in January 2025, which was due for repayment by May 2025. Disclosure Scotland is also owed £125 for an annual subscription fee for PVG registrations.
Although the club managed to get a winding-up petition from Document Solutions withdrawn earlier in the season for around £320,000, the firm is still pursuing the sum related to loans used to fund the club. Accies had a winding-up petition served by HMRC in May and was made to pay the full fee due, understood to be over £90,000, after their bid for a payment plan was rejected.
Parent Company Accounts Show £1.3m Creditors
Just last week, Hamilton Academical's parent firm 1874 Holdings, of which Edwards is the only active director, saw a compulsory strike-off notice discontinued after publishing its accounts. The submission to Companies House shows £1.3m owed to creditors and a mystery £1.3m asset appearing between 2024 and 2025. Current assets jumped from £705 in 2024 to £1.3m in 2025, while the amount due to creditors within one year increased from £1,265 to just over £1.3m.
Lanarkshire Live Sport has been banned by Hamilton Academical since January 2026, when Edwards took over, after revealing the extent of the financial crisis, including sky-high wages and debts around £5m. The publication is therefore unable to obtain comment from the club. PFA chief executive Fraser Wishart declined to confirm or deny dealings with current or former players, stating: "All union interaction with our members must always remain confidential."
